America's education system has finally hit an all time low with the February 11 publication of an opinion piece in a Wichita, Kansas, high school newspaper calling for gay people to be executed. District officials have defended the position saying that it's just one person's opinion, as though that makes it ok. Officials further argued that they had no choice but to publish the article, citing The Kansas Student Publications Act for their justification.

If true, would the Wichita public schools system publish the opinion that as a bunch of bigoted hate mongers, Christians and Jews are not normal and should be rounded up and executed? Would they publish an opinion piece saying black students should be stripped of their rights and dignity and be executed without trial? Does anyone believe for a second that this would happen in the Wichita school system? Of course not, and the law very specifically says that "libelous, slanderous or obscene," material or material that brings about a "substantial disruption of the normal school activity" is NOT protected. I guess stoning gay kids to death doesn't seriously disrupt school activity in Kansas. It's all in a days work, apparently.

Students wanting to fight this abominable "opinion piece" and the actions of the school district in supporting it, should write an article about the dangers that Reich-Wing Christians pose to this country, and demand their execution. See if district officials have the same concern for free speech when someone wants to stone them to death.

In the meantime, President Obama needs to go on record condemning this school district and demanding the resignation of those who condoned and justified its publication. I won't hold my breath.

I always thought that a school newspaper had a right to refuse publishing any comment or opinion that did not fit with its image. This opinion of executing a gay is extreme. Just leave them to their own practices and life. Besides gays do not reproduce.

Reply

Leave a Reply.

Author

Jay Jordan Hawke is author of the Two-spirit Chronicles, which includes: Pukawiss the Outcast, A Scout is Brave, and Onwaachige the Dreamer.